Is there any requirements for living in japan? Like how in the US, or at least i think its how it works here, you have to be a US citizen to stay for more than a certain number of days. IS this true in japan too or do you just kind of decided i want to live in japan and then find an apartment and move?

First of all, if you dont live in america you can get a one year work visa(depending on your country), if your a u.s. citizen, you must have a degree before being able to work/ live in japan. And most likely woth out at least a level 2 jplt certificate your not going to be able to find a job anywhere. unless you want to teach english, but even if that you still need a degree to get past immagration.

If japan were that easy to get a visa for, it would not be what it is, it would be full of lazy american anime nerds who thought it would be cool to live there and so on...most likely.

If you are really interested in moving to japan why not do some of your own research about visa's and on the japanese government and its rules and reqiurements for living in their country. Or look into some scholarships (which are also very tough to get).

Any way, keep studying and if you really want to do that then make it happen, nothing is immpossible, just don't give up no matter what anyone says, and eventually your dreams will come true.

Just like the states, the standard tourist visa is 90 days. You aren't allowed to work or get a real apartment with that visa.

There are only two ways to stay permanently: One, is if you get hired by a company large enough to sponsor you. You will receive a work visa for as long as you work for that company (or, as long as they want to sponsor you). This can be expensive for the company, so it's hard to find companies that will do it. Usually the only companies that do it are the ones that require a very high Japanese level, as well as some much-needed technical skills. The reason is, all of the English schools or companies that don't require Japanese can find plenty of people who already have visas (exchange students, military dependants, or foreigners married to Japanese) to work for them.

Most English Language schools will sponser your visa, and find you housing and set you up in Japan. However, most of them also require a college degree. If you are not fluent in Japanese, I would suggest going through one of them, as finding a normal Japanese job without fluent Japanese not an easy task.

Some big English programs/schools are: Aeon, Nova, JET, Berlitz, Interact ECC, Alteia, etc. You should check out their websites for more information.

mairuzu wrote:First of all, if you dont live in america you can get a one year work visa(depending on your country), if your a u.s. citizen, you must have a degree before being able to work/ live in japan. And most likely woth out at least a level 2 jplt certificate your not going to be able to find a job anywhere. unless you want to teach english, but even if that you still need a degree to get past immagration.

It is not necessary to have a degree to get a visa (work or otherwise). Some visas (like professor or medical researcher visas) require specialized degrees/knowledge, but general work visas, entertainer visas, skilled laborer visas, etc., do not require degrees as part of the visa application process.

Also, the JLPT is not a requirement for every job. It depends on the company. Some will use it as a screen during the application process, but other companies will never ask for it. Also, there are plenty of large, foreign companies based in Japan that have non-Japanese speaking staff. I've had foreign friends who have worked under those conditions, and I've had Japanese friends who worked as interpreters for people in those conditions.

In other words, it is entirely possible to get a job and a visa here in Japan without a college degree or a certificate from the JLPT. There are seven different visa types with some 27 different sub-categories. Look for the one that seems to apply to you best, find out what its requirements are, and send in the appropriate documents. Don't just assume that you must be an X and you must hold Y documents to get over here, because it's simply not true.

Mukade wrote:[Don't just assume that you must be an X and you must hold Y documents to get over here, because it's simply not true.

But don't think it's going to be really easy without that stuff!

As a side note, my friend speaks Japanese fairly well, and has some 10 years technical experience with television broadcast systems. Still, it took him 11 months to find a new job after he was laid off from his previous employer... :/ And he didn't even need a company that would give him a visa!

keatonatron wrote:But don't think it's going to be really easy without that stuff!

I never said that. I just wanted to make the point that it's not impossible. I get the feeling that many foreigners (especially English-speaking ones) only ever see the Eikaiwa side of Japan and then suddenly assume that their situation is applicable to every foreigner that ever comes here, and it isn't. There are plenty of people here (with or without native English abilities) under very different circumstances than the prototypical Eikaiwa teacher.

keatonatron wrote:As a side note, my friend speaks Japanese fairly well, and has some 10 years technical experience with television broadcast systems. Still, it took him 11 months to find a new job after he was laid off from his previous employer... :/ And he didn't even need a company that would give him a visa!

Do you really think that he would have had a much easier time in his home country? I mean, with 10 years experience, he must have been in a pretty good position in the company. To find a comparable position in another company after being laid off would be difficult anywhere.

Any good career advisor in the States (and elsewhere, I would think, but I have no experience to say) suggests having six months' wages in the bank, at least, in order to cover yourself in the event of a lost job. It's expected that finding another job, even with relevent experience and training, can take time.

You face hurdles as a foreigner looking for work in any country, not just Japan. I just wanted to point out the truth behind all the 'you must have this and you have to be able to do that' hype that tends to fly when this sort of discussion comes up.

If you research the possibilities, you'll find that it's completely doable - i.e., coming to Japan via the road less traveled.

Marcvs3 wrote:Teaching English would suck. So many people gonna ask "WHY" things are just so complicated and why every word has five meanings.

Haha, you obviously wouldn't be a good English teacher. There are people who can answer those questions, and they are the ones that make good teachers!

Mukade - I didn't mean to undermine your post I haven't tried working in Japan yet, but I have taken the "road less travelled" so I know anything's possible. However, I have read many articles recently talking about how the Japanese economy has taken a turn for the worse, especially for foreign workers. It used to be fairly easy to find work in Japan if you just have a few skills, but now it can be quite difficult (and if there are less jobs, that means there is more competition, which means there will be higher requirements!). But as you said, anything is possible... but, as in any country, people shouldn't expect anything to come to them without some effort. "I'm going to graduate college, move to Japan, and start making video games" isn't a valid 5-year plan B)

Shikitohno - It depends on where you work! Pretty much every company that will sponsor you (give you a visa) requires a BA, but the major doesn't matter. Other companies only require that you speak English as a native language, but those companies generally require you to find your own visa. Teaching at a University or something might require a major in English.

Just to put in my two cents, if you are trying to pursue a non-english teaching career and require VISA sponsorship, you should look into attending US japanese career fairs that are available across the country.